♪ from cnn center, this is "cnn sunday morning." it's sunday, february 19th. good morning. i'm gary tuchman. and a special good morning to our servicemen and women who are watching on the american forces network overseas. today the family and friends of whitney houston will lay the pop star to rest. a private burial is planned. we'll take a look at her music filled sendoff. plus espn is accused of using a racial slur. did the network cross the line with its headline about new york knicks guard jeremy lin? there's been world reaction.

we'll hear what people are saying. and the navy s.e.a.l.s are called into action on the big screen. it's a new blockbuster thriller, and, no, those are not actors. we'll talk to the real men on the front line and in the movie. we start, though, with whitney houston being laid to rest today. she is being buried next to her father in the fairview cemetery in westfield, nng. that's about 25 miles south of newark. but the funeral service was held yesterday, where her grace was remembered. so was her grace and her passion. we'll have much more later on in this hour. an arizona sheriff outed by a phoenix newspaper has stepped down as the state's co-chairman for 34i9 mitt romney's campaign. sheriff paul babou is accused of threatening to deport his ex-boyfriend if he reveals the

relationship. he announced for the first time publicly that he is gay but says he won't end his congressional run. china is calling for an immediate ceasefire in syria. a chinese diplomat was visiting the syrian counterparts when the military opened fire on protesters in damascus. as many as 17 people were killed in syria yesterday. china's vice foreign minister said both sides should sit down and negotiate an end to the violence. china and russia recently vetoed a u.n. resolution calling on the president to step aside. the discovery of human remains on long island, new york, has reignited fears of a possible serial killer on the loose. the remains find friday were about 40 miles from where ten other sets of remains were found last year. police said they aren't sure yet if the new discovery is linked to the other cases.

yesterday's funeral for whitney houston was a celebration of her life, of her gift, and of her legacy. ♪ ♪ hate's going around and it's running ♪ >> family and friends like stevie wonder were at the new hope baptist church in newark, new jersey, to say good-bye. there were songs and stories about the little girl that everyone called nippy and about a woman who did not consider herself a superstar. >> it's a tree we could all hang from, the inexplainable burden that comes with fame, call it doubt, call it fear. i've had mine, and i know the famous in the room have had theirs. i asked her to trust me, and she said she would.

a half hour later she went back in to do her screen test, and the studio fell in love with her. the whitney i knew, despite her success and worldwide fame, still wondered, am i good enough? am i pretty enough? will they like me? it was the burden that made her great and the part that caused her to stumble in the end. whitney, if you could hear me now, i would tell you, you weren't just good enough, you were great. >> that was kevin costner. meanwhile, houston's ex-husband bobby brown added some unexpected drama to the day. he ended up leaving the funeral early. in his statement, brown says he was asked to move several times when he got there and finally just decided to leave instead of creating a scene, he says. houston's family says brown was expected to be there with two friends, but instead he brought ten.

some of his group were asked to move to make room for whitney houston's mother. the family says bobby brown refused, so police were called over. we've got much more ahead this morning on whitney houston. next hour we'll talk with atlanta area pastor michael mcqueen, who was there at the funeral yesterday. we'll get his impressions. at 7:20 eastern time we'll be joined by a pop culture expert to look at whitney houston's musical legacy and the lasting effect she's had on entertainment. at 8:00 a.m., we'll get a journalist's view from inside the funeral at the new hope baptist church in newark. the south getting a double dose of bad weather this weekend from severe storms and then another blast from old man winter. meteorologist reynolds wolf is here. good morning, reynolds. >> it is indeed the one-two punch from mother nature. we had a lot of rain along the gulf coast, including bourbon street in new orleans had heavy rain. even tornado reports from parts of louisiana into alabama. thankfully, no severe damage and certainly no injuries, no

fatalities. the system is going to chug its way into south florida. the top half of the system back in the appalachians, no rain but possibly snowfall. we'll talk about how that's going to affect your traffic coming up in a few moments. espn is offering an apology to jeremy lin after using a racial slur in a story about the nba essentialization. plus a vote that says defining life begins at inception. this morning concerns that would lead to a ban on abortions. and elizabeth smart is now a married woman. more on her nuptials just ahead. and a new combat movie featuring real navy s.e.a.l.s. and it's not without controversy. 's the new element from at&t so it's w-a-t-e-r proof. cool. what else does it d-o? it's fast. it's 4g lte. 4-g-l-t-e? mhhmm. i think it's time to stop spelling? ok. a-y.

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we have severe weather going on in the gulf, virginia, maryland. >> it's really a mix. it's this area of low pressure we've been tracking along parts of the gulf coast. if the water was a little bit warmer and it happened to be, say, during hurricane season, it might be something we have even greater concern about. we're showing you the possible snowfall in the top half of the system, how it might be affecting the appalachians, some places three to six. take a look at this. let me show you what you have in terms of precipitation. got a lot of this mainly towards memphis, chattanooga, nashville. yesterday the rain was very heavy. let me show you what happened on mardi gras. it was certainly a very rainy time to say the least. the beads were coming down, and so too were the rain drops. very heavy at times. it wasn't just a rain event. we had all kinds of things going on. tree damage reported in parts of the gulf coast. even a couple of tornadoes reported, but in terms of extreme damage, it just did not happen today. that's the good news. that area of low pressure is

going to continue to move over parts of the northeast. jacksonville along 95, i would expect it to intensify. as it mixes with the cold air aloft, we'll see the snow develop in parts of virginia, through the carolinas, and even into west virginia. how that's going to affect you in terms of travel. could be a tough travel day in places like atlanta, birmingham, nashville, raleigh could be an issue, especially during the afternoon hours. and washington, d.c., look for snow to develop late afternoon. pure bliss for portions of the central plains. just beautiful. lots of sunshine. scattered snow showers across the central and northern rockies, even the wasatch range getting in on that action. 40s for seattle and portland. 63 in los angeles. 39 in denver, that's the high temperature. 45 in new york. 84 in miami. and 41 in boston outside fenway park. that's the latest on the forecast. gary, your turn.

>> 41 outside fenway park. spring training beginning this weekend. >> bestill my heart. >> the time has come. thank you, rereynolds. speaking of sports, espn says it's sorry for using an inappropriate word to describe nba sensation jeremy lin. espn says it could punish employees responsible for it. on wednesday an anchor used a word that's also a racial slur for asians. the same word appeared later on espn's mobile website. espn has taken steps to make sure it doesn't happen again. lin is an american of taiwanese descent. he's come off the bench to lead the knicks to some thrilling wins. whitney houston's ex makes an appearance at her funeral. many have asked why bobby brown left the funeral before it was over. his explanation coming up. nanci.

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houston's fans saying good-bye in their way. inside the church, it was a celebration of song and powerful memories. ♪ she was born in newark ♪ she was heaven sent >> we are here to mourn her loss but to celebrate her life, one of our angels, whitney houston. ♪ a long time coming but a change had to come ♪ >> so what i know about her is that she loved the lord, and if there was a grace that carried her all the way through, it was the same grace that carried her home. ♪ but i know she wasn't afraid to die ♪ >> so say whatever you want, god

was for her, and she is resting singing with the angels. god bless you, family. god bless you. god bless you, whitney. we love you so much. ♪ because whitney understood somebody's waiting beyond the sky ♪ ♪ it's been a long time coming >> a lot of leading men could have played my part, a lot of guys could have filled that role. but you, whitney, i truly believe that you were the only one that could have played rachel marin at that time. she told god that she was going to be like aretha, like her famous cousin dionne, like her beautiful mother cissy. there can be little doubt in this room that she's joined their ranks. as the debate heats up this century, and it surely will, about the greatest singer of the last century, as the lists are drawn, it will have little

meaning to me if her name is not on it. >> without knowing of her love of music, her passion, and her absolutely natural genius in interpreting songs, you certainly don't know all of whitney houston. personally, all i can say is that i loved her very much. everyone in heaven, including god, is waiting, and i just know you're going to raise the roof like no one else has done before. ♪ and no more whitney, no more do you have to cry ♪ ♪ you'll always be our ribbon in the sky ♪ >> don't grieve for me, for now

i'm free. i'm following the path god laid for me. ♪ and do i hear a song i look to you ♪ >> god wanted me now. he set me free. ♪ jesus loves me for the bible tells me so ♪ >> i love you, whitney. lemon burst, hm, cherry orchard, blackberry harvest... my daughter's grabbing some yoplait. pina colada, orange creme.

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it's time to check out what other stories are making news across the country. we start in charlottesville, virginia, where a former university of virginia lacrosse player accused of killing his girlfriend decided not to take the stand in his own defense. instead, george huguely left it up to his attorney that, while he fought with yardley in 2010, he left her injured, not dead. they called the death an accident. both the prosecution and the defense rested their cases. the trial resumes on wednesday. to hawaii, where elizabeth smart is a married woman. she married her boyfriend in a small ceremony on oahu's north shore. smart and matthew gilmour were supposed to get married this summer but the couple decided to move it up a few months because of all the media attention. you remember that elizabeth smart was kidnapped when she was 14 years old and held for nine months.

she's now 24 years old. finally, let's go to las vegas, where the stars came out to say happy birthday to muhammad ali. ali actually turned 70 last month, but vegas never misses an opportunity to party. >> he is the most generous person i know. and you know what? my dad doesn't want to spend his birthday getting gifts. he wants to give back to the community. >> he is the most unselfish person that i've ever known. >> he's an icon in just about every avenue of life. both as an athlete and as a person. >> ali has changed us all and impacted us all, whether we acknowledge it or not. >> president obama sent along a video message to ali. people paid up to $10,000 a ticket to go to the party, which doubled as a fund-raiser for the muhammad ali center in louisville, kentucky, and the brain health center at the cleveland clinic. bobby brown is speaking out on his early exit from the funeral for his ex-wife whitney houston. the r&b singer left the service

shortly after arriving. sources said brown decided to leave after being asked to move several times in the church. reverend jesse jackson spoke to cnn's don lemon about the incident. >> four or five of them sitting in the front row, and they wanted them to move. i think they didn't make proper accommodations for him to move. so he was asked to leave. that was a very difficult moment for all of us. i tried to get him to stay, but they asked him to get up to go and wouldn't make room for him. that was a painful moment in today's otherwise tremendous, inspiring service. >> in a statement, brown said in part, "i fail to understand why security treated my family this way and continued to ask us and no one else to move. i will continue to pay my respects to my ex-wife the best way i know how." so we want to hear from you on this topic. what do you make of the bobby brown scenario at the funeral? tweet me at gary tuchmancnn.

whitney's funeral brought out the famous and her fans. we'll look at how whitney was remembered when we return. that allows students to have a social network. you can post discussion questions. we have more than twenty thousand faculty members, chances are one of them is online when you need some assistance. i'm ron gdovic, i'm committed to providing my students with a twenty-first-century education and i am a phoenix. beth! hi! looking good. you've lost some weight. thanks. you noticed. these clothes are too big, so i'm donating them. how'd you do it? eating right -- whole grain. [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multi-grain cheerios -- 5 whole grains, 110 calories. creamy, dreamy peanut butter taste in a tempting new cereal. mmm!

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we want to welcome you back to "cnn sunday morning." i'm gary tuchman. it's 26 minutes past the hour. in the news, whitney houston's family will gather today at a private burial to lay her to rest. she'll be buried next to her father. her burial comes one day after celebrities like alicia keys sang tributes to houston at her childhood church in newark, new jersey. the emotionally charged invitation only service lasted for hours, with people remembering the superstar as a powerful singer, actress, and child of god. our national correspondent susan candiotti has more on what happened after the funeral. >> reporter: gary, after the funeral with the rain coming down, friends and family of whitney houston were invited to a special gathering called a repast, and they gathered on the

22nd floor of a private dinner club to share something to eat and to share stories, no doubt, about whitney houston, how they knew her, how they loved her. many people who were notables were also here. a lot of people, the spectators recognized from across the street as these invited guests crossed a red carpet and a rope line into the building. they included, of course, cissy houston, and bobby christina, whitney's daughter. we saw kevin costner go in. even afterwards, he came out and waved to everyone standing across the street, watching all these people gather. we also saw reverend jesse jackson and al sharpton. tyler perry came here as well as dionne warwick and jennifer hudson and angela bassett. a number of notables. for many people, undoubtedly, it was an inspirational and emotional experience and in many ways, very likely, a comforting one. gary, back to you.

>> susan, thank you very much. we all know that whitney houston will be remembered as the voice, a diva, and a superstar. how did she see herself? here's whitney houston in her own words. >> when we started, it was about what would fit with my voice, what song did. when clive heard me sing "the greatest love," which is the song he grasped onto and said, that's where we're going to go. we've finally got someone who can sing great ballads. ♪ the greatest love of all is happening to me ♪ >> so i'm proud to carry that torch, you know what i'm saying? i'm proud of that. you give the best you've got. i worked really hard, and i gave it all i had, and that's all you can expect. i feel humbled. i feel blessed to have received all of this -- these accolades.

i don't know, that's the way i feel. i fell in love with a great man, and i thought, mm, i think i'll have his baby. no, i'm only kidding. but, no, i did fall in love with a great man and decided, i'd like to have some kids. i don't know, i just thought maybe it would be nice to have somebody carry me on. it's not a comeback for me. i've been here. i've just been here. i just took a break, you know, which sometimes you have to. you have to know when to slow that train down and kind of just sit back and relax for a minute. i just wanted time to be -- for my daughter to look in my eyes and to know that i was mommy sxn t and not the lady on tv, you know? that was very important to me. my mother used to always tell me, above all, to thine own self be true. that's kind of what i want to teach bobby chris. be true to yourself. you can fool people.

you can fool anybody any time of the day, but you can't fool yourself. at night, when you go home, you've got to be straight up with you. here's a look at some top stories on this sunday morning. the co-chair of mitt romney's presidential campaign in arizona has stepped down. we're talking pinal county sheriff paul babeu. "the phoenix new times" published allegations that he threatened to deport an ex-boyfriend. babeu is now saying he is gay but denied trying to deport the man. babeu is also running for congress. he says he will continue with his congressional campaign. a new set of human remains found on long island, new york, has renewed fears that a serial killer is out there. police say they found the remains about 40 miles from where at least ten other sets of human remains are found. so far, it's not clear if the cases are connected. iranian navy ships, including a destroyer,

reportedly passed through the suez canal into the mediterranean sea and are headed to syria. a deployment a year ago stirred fears in israel and other nations. an iranian news agency quotes an admiral saying the deployment is meant to show friendship to countries in the region and display iran's military resolve. in greece, authorities are looking for a couple of art thieves. they tied up a guard and stole dozens of clay and brass figures. this happened at a museum in olympia during business hours. many of the stolen artifacts are related to the olympics and are statuettes of athletes. it's the second big art thief in greece this year. the cultural minister resigned after this one. this week the virginia senate could take up a bill that says life begins at conception and gives even a fertilized egg the same rights as a person. the house of delegates in virginia approved the bill last week. if it survives the trip to the governor's desk and he signs it, virginia will be the first state in the nation with a law like

this. cnn's athena jones has the story. >> reporter: the battle over women's reproductive rights is playing out in state houses around the country. in virginia, the house of delegates just passed a bill that says life begins at conception and gives unborn children in all stages of development, including embryos, the same rights available to you and me. >> it grants recognition that there's a human being here. by itself, this cannot criminalize abortion. >> reporter: while the bill doesn't directly challenge the landmark roe versus wade supreme court decision affirming a woman's right to abortion, republican delegate bob marshall, the bill's sponsor and a longtime abortion opponent, acknowledges it's a step in that direction. >> we need to get back to the respect for life we used to have in this country that's been lost. >> reporter: the bill hasn't yet passed the state senate. the fight in richmond has been fierce, with opponents saying the bill will severely restrict women's reproductive rights.

it worries that women could reduce contraception that would prevent the implantation of fertilized eggs. >> this is a decision by the government and that the decision should be left to the woman and her physician, medical professional. this is a slippery slope, and eventually the goal of the personhood movement is to ensure that birth control is illegal. >> reporter: the battle in virginia isn't unique. a similar bill is now pending in oklahoma's legislature. >> what i would say is that we're in the middle of a wave of these kinds of bills, and they're happening across the country. we're also seeing ballot initiatives being introduced. >> reporter: virginia's governor robert mcdonnell has said he will review the bill if it passes the senate, but he hasn't committed to signing it. what happens in virginia, one thing is certain. 30 years after roe v. wade, the debate over women's reproductive rights is not going away.

athena jones, cnn, richmond, virginia. now to the presidential race. we're a little more than eight months from the general election, folks. we're going to talk about newt gingrich's southern strategy today. his home state of georgia is a key for him. win and go on, or lose and possibly, possibly go away. joining me now is patricia murphy. she's the founder of citizen jane politics and a contributor for the daily beast. thank you very much, for joining us, patricia. >> thank you for having me. >> you've been following newt gingrich here in the state of georgia. key for him on super tuesday. >> huge. >> how is he doing? >> he is doing well. he's getting his crowds out. his crowds are thrilled to see him. these are people who knew him when he was speaker here, and people who have moved to the state. some of them for the first time very excited about his message. but he knows, and he says, georgia is not a slam dunk. he's down in a lot of polls. he is running a little short on money. he's able to raise some recently. he himself has said georgia is not a slam dunk.

>> i said possibly he could be in a lot of trouble if he doesn't win in georgia. can he continue if he doesn't win his home state? this is where he was a congressman for so many years and sprung him to be speaker of the house. >> if you learned anything in 2012, it's do not count newt gingrich out no matter what happens in the race. it would be very, very difficult for him to go on as a legitimate candidate if he can't win his own home state of georgia. and even some places like michigan for mitt romney, he did serve here in congress. everybody knows him. he has a message that should resonate here. if he doesn't do really well in georgia, if he doesn't win georgia, he could keep going, but does anyone believe he would win the nomination? >> the guy that was just shaking his hand and hugging newt gingrich, herman cain, another man from georgia. >> also from georgia. >> dropped out of the race. he's been campaigning with him in georgia. let's listen to something herman cain just said. >> i got news for you, 50% of america do fall in the category of either stupid or ignorant

relative to what's going on in this country. >> so herman cain just called a lot of the american people stupid and ignorant. is that a good campaign tactic to insult lots of americans. >> well, if you need 50% plus one, let's be nice to the plus one at least. that message right there, it was basically herman cain saying the democrats have pulled the wool over the eyes of half of americans. i don't think he really meant that half of america is really stupid. they're just dumb enough to get tricked by the democrats. but everybody else is smart enough to vote for newt gingrich. listen, herman cain is really just a radio guy. he's a deejay. >> talk show host. >> talk show host, if you will. >> i used to be a deejay when i was in college. >> look at you now. >> i wish i still was. loved spinning those tunes. >> so this is how he gets his crowds riled up. the crowd there loved it. this is one of his biggest applause lines. it does tee this group up to say the future of the country is in

your hands. it's your turn to help us. it worked incredibly well. >> now he's in double digits. let's listen to what rick santorum has to say. >> the problem is that everybody underestimates me, and it is, of all the things you can have as a politician, of any gift you can have, that is the best one. because they never take you seriously. >> so rick santorum thinks people aren't taking him seriously. are people taking rick santorum seriously? >> yes and no. people absolutely are taking rick santorum seriously because he keeps winning races. how could you not take him seriously? on the other hand, when you look at political professionals, they'll say, yes but. but he doesn't have a lot of money. but he doesn't have a large infrastructure. but the reality is it hasn't stopped him in a lot of states. you have to take rick santorum

seriously. he's very consistent with his message, by conservative voters love. he's very unpredictable with his results, which is making the republican establishment so worried. >> i interviewed rick santorum the night of the nevada caucuses and he didn't do well, and he said, i'm going to win the nomination. he caught me by surprise saying, i'm going to win. and he won the next three contests. i think people need to take him seriously. >> absolutely. if you're looking for somebody who is really truly very conservative, socially conservative, fiscally conservative, for a republican party like the one in 2010 who was hungry for conservatives and a conservative message, rick santorum really is their guy. are they all going to get together and nominate him? it's tough. he's being outspend ten to one, 20 to one in these contests. newt gingrich could be strong in the south, but you must take rick santorum seriously. >> nice to meet you in person. thanks for your expertise. there's only one debate left

before super tuesday, and we've got it for you here on cnn. it's the arizona republican debate. it will be this wednesday night. join our john king as he welcomes the four remaining republican presidential candidates. this wednesday, 8:00 eastern time. a new combat movie featuring real navy s.e.a.l.s, not actors, and it's not without controversy.

it's party time. rio de janeiro brazil as carnivale kicks off into high gear. carnivale, drums, fireworks, ewill be rat floats dotting the

parade as partygoers attend hundreds of neighborhood block parties. the five-day festival officially started friday, leading up to fat tuesday. officials say 850,000 tourists are in rio for the celebrations. we now go to the guy who spends every carnivale in rio de janeiro, reynolds wolf. have you ever been there before? >> no. >> me neither. i've got to get there. i haven't had any stories in rio. >> got to make it to carnivale at one point. here in new orleans, we had mardi gras, where they had to deal with the nice parade floats and the beads, but they had to deal with rainfall. that rainfall now moving to the east. look how it's changing over. we have storms in places like florida and back into tennessee, but we're also starting to see a different type of precipitation in the top half of the storm, especially in this area. notice the white beginning to pop up. that is because we've got a lot of cold air aloft. with the moisture, you're going

to see the snow. question is how much snow are we going to see in that part of the world. three to six inches of snow. everything we see in pink for the time being is where we have the winter storm warnings. that's going to be in effect for monday as well. any drive you have on parts of 40, maybe 81, even on blue ridge parkway you might have some problems. just take it easy out there. in terms of travel through the rest of the nation, might have backups at the airports. atlanta, birmingham, and even into nashville, you could have issues with the weather. raleigh, could have delays because of the snow. and in washington, d.c., by late afternoon, we might see the snow make it from the blue ridge over towards the tidal basin. you could definitely see snow before all is said and done. in terms of the rest of the forecast, it is going to be beautiful for the central and northern plains. it is going to be cold for you in a lot of places. when you get into the higher elevations, we're going to be dealing with snow in the ski resorts. west coast, a mix of sun and clouds in most spots. highs in san francisco and los

angeles. 37 in salt lake city. 50 in kansas city. 61 in dallas. 59 in new orleans, a better day today. 51 in boston, 41 in d.c. and 84 degrees the expected high. 84 in miami. that's the latest, gary. back to you. >> 84 in miami looks good, just like rio. >> there you go. >> thank you very much, reynolds. "the simpsons" celebrate a major milestone. it's the 500th episode, but bart, lisa, maggie, and homer haven't changed at all over the years. it involves julian assange, the founder of wikileaks, and it involves a family being forced out of springfield. imagine being an orphan, given a name that forever reveals why you were left alone. that scenario apparently has been happening in china until now. more in a moment.

weigh in on bobby brown leaving whitney houston's funeral early yesterday after an apparent dispute over seating arrangements. on twitter, air hostess tweeted to me, bobby is hurting like the rest of the family and made a horrible decision to leave. i feel sorry for him. michelle tweeted, "it's typical bobby. things with him can't ever go smoothly. knowing how toxic their relationship was, he should have left." send me your thoughts, and we'll read more of them on the air. okay, team! after age 40, we can start losing muscle --

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and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge! the progresso chicken noodle you made is so good. it's got tender white meat chicken. the way i always made it for you. one more thing.... those pj's you like, i bought you five new pairs. love you. did you see the hockey game last night? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. it's time for this morning's passport with our very bilcic. nadia has a story, but when you're an orphan in china, you can sometimes be given very demeaning names you have to live with your entire life. >> in china, particularly, what they call or fans until now, but

there's new regulation, is dung and guo, which is property and state. this year the ministry of civil affairs has said we are no longer going to do that. children in orphanages are prohibited from being called party or state. they will rather be given the surnames or last names of 100 of the most popular chinese last names. it's interesting, one particular organage said up until 2010 every single orphan was called, or their last name was party because, as you just said, they owed their lives to the party. and one particular welfare worker said we don't want children to grow up in orphanages to carry labels that imply they are different from those who have parents. >> what an enlightened thing to say. >> of course that goes with them throughout their lives. there are about 100,000 children in 900 orphanages throughout

china. it really is going to impact other children. >> does this happen in other countries? >> in india, i did a story about little girls that were called, which in hindi meant unwanted. up until last year that had been their names. only in 2011 were they given names for the first time that didn't identify them as being unwanted. certainly in china, change in regulation later this year will be implemented and these children will have surnames that have so much more dignity than simply party or state. >> what has led to this sudden enlightenment? >> i think psychologists and welfare workers. the china daily says that this move shows the government is paying more attention to the children's psychological needs, which helps their development. certainly some kind of movement to understand what are the long-term ramifications? and it brings us to think what's in a name, gary tuchman?

>> tuchman in chinese means of the state. you didn't know that? that's why i'm sitting here with you discussing it. >> do you know what your first name means, gary? >> it's a british name. >> does it mean king or queen? >> definitely king. >> because the name nadia means hope or gift. >> really? >> so it's always interesting to know what does your name mean, what does a family name mean, and what does it mean to have a wonderful new last name? there's going to be a whole generation of chinese orphans who are going to be much more proud of these names. >> tuchman, i do know what that means. it's a german name, and it means, and german speakers would know this, means cloth or clothes. so i'm a man of the cloth. >> that says a lot about your warmth and your wisdom. >> nadia, thank you so much. you should be my agent. nadia bilcic, thanks for joining us. >> always good to talk about what's in a name. >> very much is. and this is an inspiring story

too because they've finally seen the light in china, give kids some dignity. an edge of your seat hollywood thriller starring real navy s.e.a.l.s. >> three, two, one. all clear! >> but some people are not too happy about the movie or the secrets it reveals. that's next. copd makes it hard to breathe,

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a hollywood thriller about navy s.e.a.l.s, but these aren't actors. our pentagon correspondent barbara starr has more. >> three, two, one. all clear! >> reporter: the s.e.a.l.s of bandido platoon are called into action. >> be safe. >> you know i will. >> reporter: when a deadly terrorist plot against the u.s. is uncovered. >> this is a personal recovery. proceed to target, recover the package, and move to extract. >> reporter: it's an edge of your seat hollywood thriller, but wait, those are real s.e.a.l.s acting in "act of valor." >> everybody that was asked to participate in the film said no. everyone to a man said no. >> initially, all the guys turned us down. they weren't about making movies. >> reporter: but director mike mccoy convinced them only

s.e.a.l.s could play s.e.a.l.s. >> you started to see a brotherhood of men that could only exist in the real world. >> reporter: together they embarked on a 2 1/2 year production schedule. denver has been on classified missions all over the world. this movie is as close as you get to what he really does. the combat is actually the crew filming s.e.a.l.s on training missions. >> it would be nice if i could be here. we're talking why he's addressing this threat. you can see this guy move, frag out. >> frag out! >> it's extremely authentic. we were there at every turn of with the production company and the directors and say this is the way it actually happens. >> reporter: the movie is not without controversy. the navy originally wanted to make a s.e.a.l. recruiting film. the crew shot hundreds of hours, and suddenly it became a movie that never got the pentagon's official stamp of approval. navy officials say they know some will not critical of real commandos being used in a hollywood thriller. >> it did not follow the typical

approval process, but the navy did support the film, and the s.e.a.l.s were involved with the film every step of the way. >> reporter: but to keep their secrets, some camera angles were adjusted on weapons. classified procedures left out, and there was a lighter side. >> we made fun of each other constantly. you know, you're running around trying to simulate combat. you're going to take a fall and tumble and look silly. that's now on camera where you can get away with that on the battlefield and only your buddies see that. so it had its moments. >> these were some of the most compelling, dynamic men we'd ever met in our lives. they were just really humble, good dudes. dudes you wanted to have a beer with and go surfing and hang out. >> reporter: and what about a real s.e.a.l. becoming a real actor? >> if clint eastwood calls, i'm taking that phone call. >> reporter: barbara starr, cnn, washington. remembering whitney houst houston's faith. i'll be talking to her atlanta area pastor about the last time

they prayed together. meantime, we asked you to weigh in on bobby brown leaving whitney houston's funeral early yesterday after an apparent dispute over seating arrangements. it's not too late to weigh in. send me your tweet tweets @garytuchmancnn. oh will you grab us some yoplait? sure. what flavor? mm, one of each. lemon burst, hm, cherry orchard, blackberry harvest... my daughter's grabbing some yoplait. pina colada, orange creme. i can't imagine where she is... strawberry cheesecake.

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now back to some of your comments about bobby brown leaving whitney houston's funeral early yesterday. chelsea wrote, "we've only heard his side so far. if accurate, however, it does seem he was treated harshly. he has a right to grieve." and "if we ignore him, perhaps he'll simply go away. whitney's day." and bejo said, "more fuss is being made of him than whitney houston. they were married for 15 years. could not have been that bad #leave the man alone." we'll read your responses on air. from cnn center, this is "cnn sunday morning." it's sunday, february 19th, 2012. it's 7:00 a.m. here in atlanta. 4:00 a.m. in los angeles. good morning, everybody.

i'm gary tuchman. today the family and friends of whitney houston will lay the pop star to rest. a private burial is planned. we'll take a look at her music filled sendoff. plus espn is accused of using a racial slur. did the network cross the line with its headline about new york knicks guard jeremy lin? there's been world reaction to it. we'll hear what people are saying. and president jimmy carter talks about his journey to christianity and how at times he had questioned his beliefs. we start with whitney houston being laid to rest today. she is being buried next to her father in the fairview cemetery in westfield, new jersey. it's about 25 miles south of newark, where friends and family gathered yesterday to remember her grace, her passion, her faith. we'll have much more on yesterday's event later in this program. an arizona sheriff outed by a phoenix newspaper has stepped down as the state's co-chairman for mitt romney's presidential campaign. in the newspaper article,

sheriff paul babeu is accused of threatening to deport his former boyfriend if he revealed their relationship. he denies the allegation. babeu, who's a sheriff of pinal county, arizona, south of phoenix, is also running for congress, and he acknowledged publicly for the first time that he's gay. he says he will not end his congressional run. china is calling for an immediate ceasefire in syria. a chinese diplomat was visiting his syrian counterparts when the military opened fire on anti-government activists in the capital of damascus. activists say as many as 17 people were killed in syria yesterday. china's vice foreign minister says that both sides should sit down and negotiate an end to the violence. china and russia recently vetoed a united nations resolution, calling on syria's president to step aside. the new discovery of human remains on long island in new york has reignited fears of a

possible serial killer on the loose. the remains found friday were actually found around 40 miles from where ten other sets of remains were found last year. police say they aren't sure yet if the new discovery is linked to the other cases. whitney houston's family will gather at a private burial today to lay her to rest. she will be buried next to her father. her burial comes one day after celebrities like alicia keys sang tributes to whitney houston. the emotionally charged invitation only service lasted for several hours as people remembered the superstar as a powerful singer, a brilliant actress, and a child of god. our national correspondent susan candiotti has more on what happened after her funeral. >> reporter: gary, after the funeral with the rain coming down, friends and family of whitney houston were invited to a special gathering called a repast, and they gathered on the 22nd floor of a private dinner

club to share something to eat and to share stories no doubt about whitney houston, how they knew her, how they loved her. many people who were notables were also here. a lot of people here, the spectators recognized from across the street as these invited guests crossed a red carpet and a rope line into the building. they included, of course, cissy houston and also bobby christina, whitney's daughter. we saw kevin costner go in. even afterwards, he came out and waved to everyone standing across the street, watching all these people gather. we also saw reverend jesse jackson and al sharpton. tyler perry came here as well as dionne warwick and jennifer hudson and angela bassett, a number of notables. for many people here undoubtedly, it was an inspirational and emotional experience, and in many ways, very likely, a comforting one. gary, back to you. >> thank you, susan. whitney houston was very

strong in her faith, even as she was away from her new jersey home. the reverend dr. michael mcqueen knew that firsthand. he's the pastor at st. james church in alpharetta, georgia, just outside of atlanta. he joins me on the phone. pastor, thanks for joining us. i know that whitney houston was at your church on new year's eve. you were at the service yesterday. what were your impressions, first of all, of the service? looks like pastor mcqueen's phone isn't working right now. but we will come right back to him as soon as we get that phone connection with him. it will be very fast. like i said, it was new year's eve when whitney houston was in his church in alpharetta, which is a suburb half an hour north of the city of atlanta. next hour in faces of faith, we'll have an interview, our own martin savidge, with president jimmy carter, about his new book. the 39th president has written his 27th book. it's called "through the year with jimmy carter" and documents his journey into the christian

faith. here's a small part of the interview. >> specific instances of when you were in the white house. you apply both faith with the political what was going on at that time. have you ever felt abandoned by your faith? >> just once in my life, i was disillusioned with my faith. it's when i ran for governor in 1966. i was basically running against lester maddox, who was a well-known segregationist, and when he didn't win, but the legislature appointed him. there was a constitutional provision. i really felt let down by god. but my younger sister, who was a very famous evangelist, took some scriptures from the book of name james, i remember, that a setback in life should be an institution that results in

perseverance and patience and self-analysis and renewed spiritual commitment. and she convinced me. so my faith was renewed at that time. >> that interview coming up. meanwhile, espn is apologizing for a racial slur about jeremy lin. the word made the air and espn's mobile website. we'll have that story. plus meteorologist reynolds wolf is standing by with our weekend forecast. reynolds? >> i've got to tell you, yesterday all the rain was along the gulf coast, including places like new orleans. now it's all shifting to the east, where it's going to bring rain to parts of florida and georgia and the carolinas and even some snow into the appalachians. by thorough preparation for events to come. well somewhere along the way, emily went right on living. but you see, with the help of her raymond james financial advisor, she had planned for every eventuality. ...which meant she continued to have the means to live on...

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her pastor, one of her pastors, the reverend dr. michael mcqueen. he just saw her in his church on new year's eve. he was at the service yesterday. pastor, thanks so much for joining me. tell me how you thought the service was yesterday. >> i thought it was a great testament to whitney houston. it was very musical. i think she got -- >> pastor, it's a little hard to hear you. sometimes that phone technology gets you. you're on an airplane, i understand. i apologize to the flight attendant if you're on the runway about to take off. you prayed with whitney, as i was saying this past new year's. can you tell us about that? >> whitney came in.

she loved the lord. in sharing with us, she shared with me that she had really enjoyed me and i was her pastor every time she came through to atlanta. so she really enjoyed worship and being with the lord. >> pastor, still really hard to hear you, but we're getting the idea. what do you think the family can do to heal right now? >> i'm recommending to spend time in prayer, get away, reflect upon whitney's life to see how they can best honor her life. and so i think some time away,

spending time in prayer. >> dr. mcqueen, thank you very much for talking with us. it's nice of you to rush and get through security, get on the airplane. we're sorry for the bad reception, but i enjoyed talking to you. have a nice flight. >> thank you. the pacific northwest is getting ready for another winter blast, and parts of the south are preparing for severe storms. new orleans hit some severe storms yesterday, reynolds wolf, and it's mardi gras. this is the seventh mardi gras since hurricane katrina, which is a wonderful testament because a lot of people thought there wouldn't be another mardi gras after hurricane katrina. >> they went out and celebrated the best they could despite the rainfall and thunderstorms and even a couple of tornadoes along the gulf coast. certainly no major damage, injuries, or fatalities. we're watching the system slowly moving its way to the east. as it does, it's begin to go change a little bit. not just a rain maker, but snow starting to pop up in the blue ridge and parts of the

appalachians. strong storms moving through central tennessee. good morning to you, nashville. you may hear thunder boomers to the south. before the day is out, you might get more rainfall in nashville. extreme northern mississippi, you're going to see the rain continue throughout the day and maybe flash flooding because of poor drainage in low-lying spots. in florida, look for the atmosphere continue to destabilize. we're going to see the rain across the south and everything to the north it's going to be snow. the reason why, we've got a lot of cold air coming in from the north. the overall moisture is what could give you the snow and could also aid in the delays we're going to be seeing. in atlanta, birmingham, and nashville, the fog and rain giving you issues. nashville, maybe a light dusting of snow, but not i'm not xapi expecting accumulation.

the snowfall is limited to the highest elevations of the appalachians. we're calling for three to six, but don't be surprised if blue ridge parkway gets up to eight inches of snowfall before all is said and done. in terms of the weather for the central plains, it looks great. picture perfect across the da c dakotas, back into texas. in terms of temperatures, we wrap things up. 47 degrees the expected high in seattle. showers stick around the next couple of days. 55 in san francisco. 40 in billings. 39 in chicago. 43 in washington, d.c. 74 in tampa. 41 in boston. that's a quick snapshot of your forecast. so much more coming up. it's got tender white meat chicken. the way i always made it for you. one more thing.... those pj's you like, i bought you five new pairs. love you. did you see the hockey game last night? [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.

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and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge! jeremy lin of the new york knicks has been such a hit he's applied for a trademark on the word linsanity, and his appeal is going global. why he's a big hit in china. >> reporter: with his unbelievable performance on the court, jeremy lin has become an american sensation, and the linsanity over the new york knicks guard is starting to spread halfway around the world to china. the taiwanese-american, 23-year-old from california, is winning over fans here in a country where there are as many basketball buffs as there are americans in the world. >> china has a very wide and

inclusive sense of national identity. it embraces even a chinese american, born of taiwanese parents in palo alto, who's a devout christian. >> reporter: he's already garnered more than 1 million followers on china's version of twitter. his jerseys are selling fast on the e-commerce site. and the tongue in cheek video on how to get into the ivy league school at harvard has been viewed half a million times on the chinese internet, poking fun at chinese stereotypes. >> get glasses. >> reporter: while looking at a nation obsessed with education and success. he proves that asians can succeed in basketball, says this fan. but lin's success here isn't a slam dunk. lin didn't grow up in china, and he didn't rise through the ranks of the nation's sports system, like his mentor, yao ming.

>> yao was promoted from day one as this national icon who represented the nation, who was standing tall in the world to show that china itself could stand tall. on the other hand, i think that jeremy lin will eventually grow on chinese. >> reporter: he gives players like me a lot of confidence, this fan says. he's not too tall, just like us. when yao retired from the houston rockets last year, the nba feared the game here could lose momentum. now they're hoping the 6'3" player, who the media have called a super nova, can one day fill yao's shoes. this might just be a burst of talent, he says, but i hope he keeps playing like this for a long time. a feeling that is mutual along the linsane back in the u.s. cnn, beijing. hit movies and millions of songs sold. so we will talk about memories of whitney houston coming up next. [ wind sounds ]

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you wait for a voice like that for a lifetime. you wait for a face like that, a smile like that, a presence like that for a lifetime. and when one person embodies it all, well, it takes your breath away. >> music executive clive davis remembering whitney houston at her funeral in new jersey yesterday. and millions of fans missing the music legend as well. just look at how her music sales have sky rocketed in the last week alone.

digital sales for her hit "i'll always love you" jumped more than 6,000%. the song now sits at number four on itunes and number seven on billboard's hot 100. entertainment journalist and pop culture expert john murray joins me now. john, thank you for joining us. you saw those numbers. one thing that we see with michael jackson and even today with elvis presley is that the sales of the music for years and years could be even bigger than when the celebrity was still around. do you think that will happen with whitney houston? >> absolutely gary. we already see the music is on a fast track to being a main stage, to moving lots of units. gary, there was something i noticed yesterday, in addition to the music taking off, which there has been for the last seven days, there was an outpouring on social media of people saying, you know what, i'm going to get up and go to church tomorrow. i'm going to return to church

tomorrow in honor of whitney houston because whitney houston, upon her death, committed a worldwide revival and a look at the black church experience, which was quite unusual for people who had never seen anything like it before. >> so many people aren't familiar with the african-american church experience, and that was the first look for a lot of people. it was certainly very inspirational and moving and much different than what a lot of people have experienced in their houses of worship. one thing i want to talk to you about also was bobby brown, her husband. her ex-husband, i should emphasize. certainly a big part of the story, that it's the ex-husband. but you saw him in concert this past thursday, i understand, in maryland. what was that like? >> bobby has been on tour with his group new edition, and they've been doing dates here and there, and bobby himself has consistently performed over the last three or four years. but it was great. it was his first night back after having gone to los angeles to look after his daughter bobby christina, and the crowd embraced him in such a great way, gary. when he hit the stage, the applause was thunderous.

and you could tell he really needed that energy. he had his fiancee alicia with him, he had three of his other children with him, and they were encouraging him throughout the night. he spoke lovingly about whitney, and he beckoned the audience to continue to keep him, their family, and their legacy in prayer. >> what do you think of the weird situation with the funeral service where he ended up not staying because he came with ten people and wouldn't let him sit in one place, and he ended up leaving? >> gary, i was a little bit disappointed when people kept saying bobby showed up with an entourage. he showed up with his brother and his children, which were whitney's step kids. they had to move several times, and the security blocked him when he went to speak with his daughter. i hope the family can work out their difficulties. in death, people usually put aside their challenges, put aside their struggles, and they try to work it out. i really hope the houston family can work things out with bobby brown because they need to be

together. he needs to have a relationship with his daughter, and the family will benefit from that ultimately. >> john, like bobby christina, their daughter, follow in her mother's footsteps? >> she has youtube clips where she's singing. she's expressed subtle single aspirations. she would perform with her mom when she'd go out and do interviews and performances. she'd sing on the wyclef john song, "my love is your love." we could see them in the future. >> what was so extraordinary about whitney houston? >> whitney houston was extraordinary because of the voice. she came out in an mtv era where there were music videos, pyro ti techniques, laser lights. she would stand out there and sing. so so many, the christina aguiler

aguileras, the kelly clarksons, they all benefit from whitney just standing there and sings. >> we'll be back with more right after this. ♪[music plays] ♪[music plays] ♪[music plays] purina one beyond. food for your cat or dog.

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it's time to look at our top stories. another set of human remains has been discovered on long island, new york, where ten other sets have been found in recent years. those earlier discoveries prompted local police to begin a search for a serial killer. authorities say now it is too early to tell if the cases are connected. and it's party time. rio de janeiro, as carnivale kicks into high gear. fireworks, elaborate floats, parades as thousands attend elaborate neighborhood block parties. it's a crazy place, i'll tell you. i've never been there, but it's crazy. 850,000 tourists are in rio for the celebrations.